Is Othello a Tragic Hero?

Analyzes the character of Othello from Shakespeare’s play of the same name to determine if he fits the classical definition of a tragic hero. Concludes that Othello falls short of the definition.

Othello has often been termed a tragic hero, however, that definition might not be the most accurate or useful one to fully understand the implications of this complex Shakespearean hero. Standard dramatic criticism argues that a tragic hero, is a good and noble man brought to a bad end because of some flaw in his character that leads him to the wrong course of action. Implied in that definition are four concepts, or templates, against which Othello can be measured: a) good and noble man; b) tragic flaw; c) wrong course of action; and d) bad end…